Over on Ravelry, the knitter’s site. A new group, Project Yarnway,was formed based on Project Runway, the TV show. The designers are challenged each week to make something new, sometimes it recycled, for a celebrity, for charity, using things from the dollar store, etc. All served up with judges, models and a whole lot of drama.

I love a new challenge and most of them for me start with ” I am not inspired” who wants to do that. Then the old brain cells kick in and I am thinking, what about that yarn, what stitch would I use, is there enough yarn.

So February’s challenge was the stash challenge, design something from what you have on hand. Don’t buy new needles, just use what is there.

First up for me, the versatile Neck Ring, in Rib, in Merlin a gift from DIL, it is a cotton, linen, in terracotta and I loved working with it. It will be great for breezy spring days in the Pacific Northwest. I can see making it up in a couple of colours of noro as well for winter. I wanted the ring or cowl narrow at the back of the neck so one could wear a jacket without distorting the neck. It can be folded in a couple of different ways.

We have tried a few things over the last year and a half, so it was a bit of a challenge to figure out what to do this time around. We shorted up the time a bit and decided to do a show and tell, my fabric piece from a couple of weeks ago, someone brought their finished jewelry projects for inspiration, another person had been to a workshop on transferring photos to fabric and showed us what that session was about and the last person showed her collage canvases.

Next time up we will do the collages, but for now, we wanted to get the finishing details on our jewelry and charm bracelets a little more professional. My vacation buddy led us through jump rings, crimps and eye loops. It sounds easy but we all learned a few tricks that we hadn’t picked up from looking at videos and reading instructions. I think most of us will be out picking up a few new and better tools. We decided that we wanted to do our own thing and not have any pressure about making charms for someone else. I am so looking forward to the next meeting to see what everyone thinks up.

I wore my bracelet today and a couple of charms fell off, I was still in the house so I found the bits. Obviously a little more practice and care is needed. I bought some chains at Michael’s and wove them together. I wanted to use a variety of metals, so picked up some washers from the hardware store, used part of an old fastener from a coat tie, a few new glass charms and some old silver ones from my stash.

It has been so long since I have posted a pair of socks. I had the pattern for a few years and finally started it with some yarn that I had sitting in the stash for a long time. The pattern is Almost Argyle by Susan Lawrence for KnitPicks and I used Sisu yarn in aqua. This took a couple of months for me to knit but then days would pass before I picked up the needles. I had also started with size 2 dpns and finally went down to 2mm instead. I didn’t want to restart the pattern over the foot and I kind of like the plain bit near the toe.

I had fun once again working with my cut outs of letters, I went around the edges with Metallic crayons, rubber stamped love and a heart and went from there. I used caran d’ache aquarelle in and around the hearts and letters, added water to spread out the colour, added metallic amethyst, and some fabric paint in fuchsia. Then I went back in with cast iron metallic crayon for some printing and a little more outlining.

This is quite a bit brighter in real life. It was taken on a cloudy day outside. You can click for a closeup.

I also found some Love letters you could eat, the strawberry ones were really good.

Canadian athletes are doing well and all ready I have watched way too much tv coverage of the games. I think we get 6 or more channels of coverage.

I thought that the opening ceremonies was beautiful but only wished that I knew all the names of the Celtic fiddlers. I always hope no one gets injured and to have an athlete die was a tragedy.

I am on a self imposed reduction of calories after the opening celebration feast. Two types of salmon, asian spinach salad, brie, swiss chocolate, greek olives, humous and pitas, perogies, frankfurters, brownies, pastries and fruit from Asia, and South America.

I have had my own little celebration at the local Tim Hortons, yummy. There was not as many maple leaves on top. Everyone one should try the Oh Canada doughnut.

It is torch day today(Feb 10), everyone who has seen it go by on the street is so excited. I have put a flag on my front door.

I am planning some international food to take to a friends to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics on TV. It is very west coast meal, so far with salmon as the main course. There will be Canadian beer as well for the men.

Lots of flag photos. Lots of people decked out in red, lots of flags, lots of umbrellas. Waiting and getting the ice (plastic) rink ready.

Even the fountain was decked out in a reddish tone.

This lady was having lots of fun.

This plastic rink works quite well and later the 3 and 4 year old skaters took over the rink.

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Can you see the torch yet? There was barely room for the police motorcycles to pass.

The flame is passed on to another torch bearer. The moment we were waiting for has come. We are ready to party.

At the end of January, the doll group had a workshop on wrapped dolls with a wire armature. It was a fun day with a group of friends. I was slowed down when I could not find a wooden base for the doll to stand. We were working from a book by Ray Slater, Clothdolls for Textile Artists. This was my opportunity for making a layered background fabric.

I had fun putting together a bunch of bits, handmade felt, layered onto organza, along with paper napkins, strips of panne printed velvet, tulle, angelina fibers, knitted copper, wire some cut into tiny bits, more organza over the top and still an orange chiffon scarf over that. When it was all pinned together, I noticed a few bare spots, so I flipped the whole thing over and covered the back with painted dryer sheets and nappy liners and then another layer of organza. Now I was ready to stitch, the first lines were with a ombre rayon thread and then in the other direction I used a metallic multi colour.

I also wrapped a couple of pipe cleaners with velvet and threads and I haven’t finished them yet, not sure if it is hair for a doll or part of the headdress. The fabric is pretty stiff , the fabric isn’t going to drape but I am thinking it will make a very flamboyant over the top creation. I don’t know if I have the doll making skills yet, but I am taking a week long workshop in April, so perhaps after that I’ll be ready to begin.